Machining involves cutting away portions of a workpiece to change the geometric shape of the workpiece. Machining equipment generally include two parts. A first part is a vise for holding the workpiece stationary, and typically resides on a horizontal table at a lower portion of the machining equipment. The second part of the machining equipment is a form of cutter which is movable relative to the workpiece. In some instances the cutter is an end mill bit which rotates and translates laterally, typically along multiple axes, and has cutting edges which cut away material when coming into contact with the workpiece. In other instances, the cutter can be in the form of a drill bit for drilling holes in the workpiece.
The workpiece is typically made of some form of metal, but could be any of a variety of different materials from which the finished article is to be manufactured. The workpiece is formed of a material which is softer than the material from which the cutter is formed, so that the workpiece can be effectively cut and shaped by the cutter. Often the cutter has its position precisely controlled, either through action of a manual operator individual or through numerical control, such as having the cutter position controlled by a computer programmed to have the cutter follow particular paths upon the workpiece.
When multiple identical articles are to be manufactured through a machining process, a significant amount of time associated with the machining operation is involved in “setup” of the machinery so that the workpieces are held precisely where required for effective and accurate machining thereof. Because the variety of geometric cuts which can be made on a workpiece is essentially endless, the optimal configuration of the vise jaw for effective holding of the workpiece during the machining operation is also varies greatly from job to job. Merely popping the workpiece into the vise and tightening the vise on the workpiece is rarely satisfactory. Problems with having the workpiece inadequately held within the vise include movement of the workpiece during machining, resulting in inaccurate cutting and/or damage to the cutter; and excessive vibration resulting in low quality machining of the workpiece and/or damage to the machining equipment. Also, when the workpiece is not adequately held by the vise jaw, significant additional time and skill is required to compensate, resulting in a greater amount of time and effort associated with machining of each workpiece.
In contrast, when the “setup” is optimal for the machining of a particular workpiece, an operator need merely pop the workpiece into the properly set up vise jaw, tighten the vise jaw, push a button to actuate the machine, and then wait for the cutter to complete its operation, before removing the workpiece and inserting a new workpiece. The simplicity associated with a high quality “setup” allows for a lower skill operator to perform the machining operation, and/or allows the operator to multi-task and perform other activities while the cutter is automatically cutting the workpiece (such as planning the next “setup” for other machining operations, keeping the machinery in good working order, communicating with co-workers, and other important tasks), thus greatly improving overall efficiency and quality of the machining process.
A machining vise typically includes a stationary jaw and a moving jaw which support pair of base plates including a stationary base plate and a moving base plate, which are typically oriented in substantially parallel vertical planes facing each other with a gap therebetween. A workpiece is inserted into this gap and the moving base plate is moved toward the stationary base plate until the workpiece is trapped between the base plates within the gap. Perhaps the only time that the basic vise configuration is optimal is when a workpiece of square or rectangular form is to be machined and when the precise position of the workpiece laterally between the vise jaws is not important. In other circumstances, it is desirable that a workpiece be held precisely at a depth between the jaws, and at a precise lateral spacing between the jaws, as well as a distance away from the stationary base plate, and associated angles of orientation, all precisely selected to hold the workpiece where desired during the operation of the cutter upon the workpiece as part of the machining operation.
In these typical situations, it is beneficial to be able to hold the workpiece precisely in the position and orientation desired for optimal machining. Accordingly, a need exists for adapters attachable to base plates of vise jaws which can be readily customized to optimally hold a great variety of different workpieces tightly between the base plates of the vise.